Roe v Wade: Why this is a seismic day in America
The Supreme Court just lobbed a constitutional hand grenade into the raging culture wars in the US, igniting a fresh battle in this decades-long fight over abortion.
2022-06-24 19:39:00 - VI News Staff
In a 6-3 ruling, the court found that there was no constitutional right to abortion, turning the decision of whether to allow abortions or not up to the states. Millions of women are now expected to lose access.
While this legal ruling will change the law, it will not settle the arguments over abortion. It will inflame them.
Jubilant anti-abortion campaigners have achieved something that seemed practically impossible only a few years ago. They believe thousands of babies' lives will now be saved.
Pro-choice advocates are left utterly dismayed as they think women's rights have just been set back 50 years. Back to a time when women died as a result of illegal back-street abortions.
Recent polls suggest around two-thirds of Americans did not want to see the constitutional right to abortion removed.
In such contentious times, even the lofty Supreme Court itself becomes a protagonist character in the narrative, not just an adjudicator. Before this ruling came out, a man with a gun and knife was arrested outside the home of one of the more conservative justices, saying he was upset by the leak of the draft ruling. Supreme Court justices now have to have security protection. That's how incendiary this issue is.
This decision was based on their interpretation of constitutional law, but it's also deeply political. When the court overturns a previous ruling it inevitably looks more political than constitutional.
The court has a 6-3 conservative super majority, thanks to the three justices appointed by Donald Trump. He made a specific campaign promise to appoint judges who would overturn Roe v Wade - and he had the opportunity to appoint three of them during his four-year term. Those appointments will probably be his most lasting legacy.